Do Curtains Count for Healthy Homes Compliance? What NZ Landlords Need to Know
Whether curtains count for healthy homes compliance is a question many NZ landlords ask when reviewing their rental property against the standards.
If you own a rental property in New Zealand and you have been wondering whether curtains count toward Healthy Homes compliance, you are not the only one. It is one of the more common questions landlords ask when they are trying to understand all five Healthy Homes Standards. The short answer might surprise you – and it has changed over the years.
Do Curtains Count for Healthy Homes Compliance?
Curtains were originally included in the Healthy Homes ventilation standard when the regulations were first introduced. At that time, landlords were required to provide curtains or blinds in bedrooms and living areas. However, the curtains requirement was subsequently removed from the Healthy Homes Standards.
As of the current regulations, curtains and blinds are no longer a requirement under the Healthy Homes Standards. They are not part of any of the five standards that landlords must comply with: heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture ingress and drainage, or draught stopping.
If you read older guidance documents, blog posts, or articles about Healthy Homes from 2019 or 2020 that mention curtains as a requirement, that information is now out of date.
Where Curtains Used to Fit In
When the Healthy Homes Standards were first gazetted, the ventilation standard included a requirement for curtains or blinds with a specific thermal resistance (R-value) in bedrooms and living areas. The intention was to reduce heat loss through windows overnight.
This requirement was removed before the final compliance deadlines came into effect, following a review of the standards. The government decided to focus the standards on the most impactful measures for improving health outcomes in rental properties – heating, insulation, ventilation through extractor fans and openable windows, moisture control, and draught stopping.
Could Curtains Still Be Relevant?
While curtains are not required under the Healthy Homes Standards, there are two situations where they may still be relevant for a landlord.
1. The Tenancy Agreement
If curtains or blinds are listed as chattels in a tenancy agreement – meaning they are included as part of what the tenant is renting – then the landlord has an obligation to maintain them in reasonable working order. If curtains listed in the agreement fall apart or are removed, the landlord is responsible for replacing them.
This is not a Healthy Homes obligation. It is a general landlord obligation under the Residential Tenancies Act to maintain the property and its chattels in reasonable condition.
2. Draught Stopping
The Healthy Homes draught stopping standard requires landlords to block unreasonable gaps that cause noticeable draughts. Older windows with significant gaps around frames can be a source of draughts. While curtains are not a recognised draught-stopping measure under the standard, fixing the gaps around window frames is the correct approach if the gaps cause noticeable draughts.
A curtain hung in front of a draughty window does not satisfy the draught stopping standard. The gap itself must be addressed.
What the Five Healthy Homes Standards Actually Require
To be clear about what is and is not required, here is a quick summary of the five current Healthy Homes Standards:
- Heating: One fixed heater in the main living area with sufficient heating capacity to maintain 18°C. Acceptable types include heat pumps, fixed electric heaters, and flued gas heaters. Portable heaters and unflued gas heaters do not qualify.
- Insulation: Ceiling insulation at the required R-value for the property’s climate zone (R2.9–R3.3) and underfloor insulation at R1.3 where the subfloor is accessible.
- Ventilation: Openable windows in all habitable rooms equal to at least 1.22 percent of the floor area, plus extractor fans venting to the outside in kitchens and bathrooms.
- Moisture Ingress and Drainage: Efficient drainage, working gutters and downpipes, and a ground moisture barrier in enclosed subfloor spaces.
- Draught Stopping: Gaps or holes in the building envelope that cause noticeable draughts must be sealed.
Curtains, blinds, and window coverings do not appear in any of the five standards listed above.
Why Some Landlords Still Think Curtains Are Required
There are a few reasons this confusion persists:
- The original 2019 regulations did include curtains in the ventilation standard before that requirement was removed
- Some older checklists, property management guides, and online articles have not been updated to reflect the current regulations
- Some tenants request curtains as an improvement, which can make landlords feel it might be a compliance issue
- Curtains do improve the thermal performance of a property and help tenants keep it warm – so some property managers continue to recommend them as good practice even though they are not legally required
If you are not sure whether a particular requirement is current, the best sources are the current regulations at legislation.govt.nz and the guidance documents published by Tenancy Services (MBIE).
What Is Still Good Practice Even If Not Required?
Even though curtains are no longer required under the Healthy Homes Standards, providing them in a rental property is still widely considered good practice, for practical reasons:
- They help tenants manage heat loss through windows, reducing heating costs
- They provide privacy, which tenants value
- They contribute to the warmth and liveability of the property, which can help attract and retain good tenants
- Well-presented rentals with curtains or blinds installed tend to command higher rents and lower vacancy rates
As a landlord, you are not obligated to provide curtains – but many do, and many include them as chattels in the tenancy agreement.
What a Healthy Homes Assessment Actually Checks
When SK Homes NZ carries out a Healthy Homes assessment, we check all five current standards as required by the Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes Standards) Regulations 2019. We do not check for curtains, as they are not part of the current standards.
What we do check includes the heating capacity of the main living area heater, insulation in the ceiling and subfloor, openable windows and extractor fans in each room, drainage and the subfloor moisture barrier, and draughts around windows, doors, skirting boards, and ceiling fixtures.
Our assessments produce a written report that landlords can use as compliance documentation, referenced in the tenancy agreement compliance statement.
How SK Homes NZ Can Help
If you want to confirm that your rental property meets the current Healthy Homes Standards – all five of them – our team can help. We carry out independent assessments in Auckland, Hamilton, and Palmerston North and produce written compliance reports you can rely on.
No upselling, no product recommendations – just an honest assessment of your property’s compliance position.
Phone: +64 290 4504 642
Email: info@skhomes.co.nz
Website: skhomes.co.nz
Serving landlords in Auckland, Hamilton, and Palmerston North.